Simon's 43rd Hawaiian Birthday Party at The Coach & Horses Hotel, Randwick (4 Jan 2014)

147 Avoca Street, Randwick NSW 2031

http://www.coachandhorseshotel.com.au

Happy Birthday to being 43

As per my self-imposed tradition I celebrated my 43rd birthday in Hawaiian style since it's the best party theme in my eyes. So easy to dress up and makes for really colourful photos too. I chose The Coach and Horses Hotel again which has a nice private area with easy access to a bar for friends to buy their drinks. 38 adults and 9 kids came along to help celebrate my special day. I ordered platters of Vietnamese vegetable rice paper rolls, Vegetable spring rolls, Vegetarian Arancini, Moroccan lamb skewers and Tempura prawns plus bowls of hot chips. Vietnamese rice paper rolls always make for a good starter. I love my deep fried spring rolls so had to order these like last time. Vegetarian Arancini were tasty with with thin crispy shell so I'd probably order these again. The Moroccan lamb skewers were pretty tasty and the Tempura prawns were probably my favourites again and also popular with the guests. 

First drink of the day was a Pimms and Lemonade followed by some Gin & Tonics courtesy of my generous friends. $592.10 was spent by guests at the bar and my birthday cake was created from 72 Lamington Fingers with 6 punnets of Fresh Strawberries arranged in the number 43 all bought from Coles. No need for cutting, cutlery or plates to eat it which is always my preference for simplicity. I received lots of yummy gifts which I'm looking forward to eating including Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning which apparently goes with everything and washing it all down with some fine wines and the bottle of Taittinger. The David Jones gift voucher will come in very handy at the food hall too.

Other birthdays for Simon:
• 4 Jan 2014 - Simon's 43rd Birthday - Coach and Horses Hotel
• 12 Jan 2013 - Simon's 42nd Birthday - Coach and Horses Hotel
• 15 Jan 2012 - Simon's 41st Birthday - Coach and Horses Hotel
• 8 Jan 2011 - Simon's 40th Birthday - Centennial Hotel
• 10 Jan 2010 - Simon's 39th Birthday BBQ
• 4 Jan 2009 - Simon's 38th Birthday BBQ

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice private space for a party with access to bar service, Nice platters of food, Helpful and friendly staff, Fun times with friends

CONS: Trying to think of something new for my next birthday cake

MUST TRY: Planning to have my 50th birthday in Hawaii

VERDICT: Great private area for a party

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Airing out my trusty Hawaiian shirt and lei

Lamington Fingers ($3.40 each approx) and Strawberries ($2 per punnet)

Making my birthday cake to spell '43'

Simon's '43' Birthday Cake

Wrapped and ready for transport to the pub

Comfortable seating

A bit of Hawaiian decor to set the mood

Friendly service serving up Vegetable Cocktail Spring Rolls ($60 per 50 pieces platter, 2 ordered)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Hot chips ($6, 5 ordered)

Vietnamese Vegetable Rice Paper Rolls ($60 per 25 pieces platter, 3 ordered)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Vegetarian Arancini ($60 per 30 pieces platter, 3 ordered)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Tempura Prawns with Wasabi & Soya Sauce ($60 per 25 pieces platter, 3 ordered)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Moroccan Lamb Skewers with Yoghurt & Mint Sauce ($60 per 30 pieces platter, 3 ordered)

Pimms and Lemonade makes for a great first drink
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Love my gin and tonic

Kids corner

Happy Birthday Cake

Aloha!

Friendly and helpful bar service

Barbie had a good time too

Thank you for all the wonderful and generous gifts

Nice hand writing — I should make a T-shirt out of this

Very cool book 'The Kinfolk Table', thanks Jugernauts

Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning 'Great on Everything'

Taittinger will be very nice for a special occasion, thanks Sip Your Style

Looking forward to learning how to make fresh pasta at Salt Meats Cheese

David Jones Food Hall here I come

Movie gift cards are totally awesome!

I'm liking these tasty VIP Nuts

So many delicious recipes to try out

I love my practical gifts from the parents including 10 bus tickets

Fun birthday cards

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Simon's 42nd Hawaiian Birthday Party at The Coach & Horses Hotel, Randwick (12 Jan 2013)

147 Avoca Street, Randwick NSW 2031

http://www.coachandhorseshotel.com.au

The answer to life is 42

According to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy the ‘Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything’ is 42 but for me it's another chance to put on my trusty Hawaiian shirt and lei for my birthday party. Last year I was pretty impressed with the function space at The Coach and Horses Hotel so I decided to have it there again. Free hire, air conditioned, private access to the bar and a platter menu that was pretty good were the main draw cards. I was lucky to have 61 adults and 12 kids share the special day with me. I ordered platters of Vietnamese vegetable rice paper rolls, Vegetable spring rolls, Steamed prawn & pork dumplings, Moroccan lamb skewers and Tempura prawns plus bowls of Potato wedges. I was pretty happy with all the food. Vietnamese rolls were a good size filled with fresh ingredients as a healthy option. I'm always a fan of the deep fried spring rolls in any size or form. Steamed pork & pork dumplings were a decent size although were a little awkward to eat with the toothpicks being so big. The Moroccan lamb skewers were tender and tasty and the Tempura prawns were nice and plump with a crisp batter making them a favourite for me. 

I kept myself fueled with Gin & Tonic and Long Island Iced Tea kindly bought for me from friends — thank you. $679.10 was spent by guests at the bar and my birthday cake was Salted Caramel (50 pieces) and Rosewater (35 pieces) macarons from La Renaissance which I arranged in the number 42. They were extremely popular and were bought for $1 each — thanks Christophe from Bistro Baroque for the very special pricing. I'm a big fan of making cakes that don't have to be cut and can be shared quickly and easily without cutlery and plates. I received many generous gifts which I look forward to using, eating and drinking which included a $100 Best Restaurants of Australia gift card. I'm thinking Movida Sydney might be a good one to try? Thanks again to all those who took the time to come along to make my birthday a very special day to remember and I look forward to catching up again soon.

Other birthdays for Simon:
• 12 Jan 2013 - Simon's 42nd Birthday - Coach and Horses Hotel
• 15 Jan 2012 - Simon's 41st Birthday - Coach and Horses Hotel
• 8 Jan 2011 - Simon's 40th Birthday - Centennial Hotel
• 10 Jan 2010 - Simon's 39th Birthday BBQ
• 4 Jan 2009 - Simon's 38th Birthday BBQ

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Good private space for a party with own access to bar service, Free function space hire, Nice platters of food, Helpful staff

CONS: Costs more to have your party at a venue but it's far less stressful, The more people you have the harder it is to get the food shared around the room

MUST TRY: Planning a trip to Hawaii for my 50th birthday to make it extra special

VERDICT: Much more relaxing having a party at a venue so you get to enjoy your own event and there's no cleaning up after

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Vietnamese vegetable rice paper rolls with hoisin sauce ($60 per 25 piece platter)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Vegetable cocktail spring rolls with sweet chilli ($60 per 50 piece platter)

Tempura prawns with wasabi & soy sauce ($60 per 25 piece platter)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Steamed prawn & pork dumpling with soya, sesame oil & coriander ($60 per 40 piece platter)

Moroccan lamb skewers with yoghurt & mint sauce ($60 per 30 piece platter)

So much easier when someone else is serving the food around the room

Wedges ($8)

Long Island Iced Tea
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Gin & Tonic ($6.50)

My 42nd Macaron Birthday Cake with Rosewater and Salted Caramel Macarons from La Renaissance

Rosewater and Salted Caramel Macarons

Flower of the day

Photographer of the day

Bill $820 for 13 platters @ $60 and 5 wedges @ $8

Enjoyable function space with comfortable seating, air con and access to private bar

Birthday boy in the lift

After party drinks at home with Hendrick's Gin

Always love Henkell for a bit of sparkling

Trying long island iced tea with cranberry instead of coca cola — I prefer with coca cola

Generous gifts from friends

I love anything Aesop

After party munchies fulfilled with Jack's Pizza

Very cool Hawaiian-inspired gift wrapping

Birthday cards

Looking forward to using the $100 Best Restaurants of Australia gift card, movie tickets and Tetsuya's Truffle Salt

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